Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Mandatory vaccinations for children stopped in Italy

The Italian government has removed the necessity for all children to be vaccinated against 10 important infectious diseases before they can join school or day care. This has shocked and angered the medical and scientific community.

7 Aug 2018

Map of billion brain cell connections sheds light on how memories are formed and recalled

Scientists have created an elaborate map of more than a billion brain cell connections, helping to shed light on how memories are formed and recalled.

3 Aug 2018

Women with PCOS more likely to have an autistic child

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are more likely than other women to have an autistic child, according to an analysis of NHS data carried out by a team at Cambridge University's Autism Research Centre.

1 Aug 2018

Scientists identify brain cells that help zebrafishes to socialize

University of Oregon scientists have identified brain cells vital to how zebrafish socialize. When the neurons are disabled, their orientation to one another breaks down in ways similar to socialization problems seen in humans with autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia.

27 Jul 2018

Mutations of IRF2BPL gene associated with previously undiagnosed neurological disorder

An international team of scientists, including researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, has discovered mutations of gene IRF2BPL that are associated with a previously undiagnosed neurological disorder in seven unrelated individuals.

27 Jul 2018

Researchers to study molecular mechanisms behind susceptibility of males to autism

Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability are more prevalent in males than females.

20 Jul 2018

WFN to highlight clean air for brain health on World Brain Day 2018

Global air pollution is not a problem that only affects lung health. Recent data show that airborne pollutants account for 30 percent of acute stroke cases worldwide.

19 Jul 2018

Mother's microbiome determines offspring's risk of developing autism

The risk of developing autism-spectrum disorders is determined by the mother's microbiome - the collection of microorganisms that naturally live inside us - during pregnancy, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

18 Jul 2018

Researchers identify key protein involved in irregular brain cell activity

In a new study in mice, researchers have identified a key protein involved in the irregular brain cell activity seen in autism spectrum disorders and epilepsy. The protein, p53, is well-known in cancer biology as a tumor suppressor.

17 Jul 2018

FAU and partners receive NIH research grant to shed light on sleep loss and metabolic disorders

A neuroscientist from Florida Atlantic University's Jupiter Life Science Initiative and collaborators from the University of Minnesota and Stowers Institute for Medical Research recently a received a four-year, $1.68 million R01 research grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences for a project titled, "Understanding Complex Trait Architecture through Population Genomics."

17 Jul 2018

New drug strategy can alleviate multiple behavioral, cellular deficiencies in FXS mouse model

Research in mice shows that a pharmacological strategy can alleviate multiple behavioral and cellular deficiencies in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and a major single-gene cause of autism spectrum disorders.

13 Jul 2018

New finding may hold key to better understand the complexities of neurological disorders

A team of bioengineers at UC San Diego has answered a question that has long puzzled neuroscientists, and may hold a key to better understanding the complexities of neurological disorders: Why are axons, the spindly arms extending from neurons that transmit information from neuron to neuron in the brain, designed the way they are?

12 Jul 2018